I put away childish things
by TheyDidn'tHaveMyName
Summary: Set after They Keep Killing Suzie and written as a birthday fic for Ianto. Jack notices that Ianto doesn't spend any of his time having fun, so decides to change that in a way that only Jack can.


A/N: Well, it's Ianto's birthday today (What do you mean fictional character?) so I'm posting this for him. It actually ended up a lot longer than I intended it to... but oh well

Pairing: Jack and Ianto, obviously

Warnings: None, teeny bit of swearing, not much though

Setting: three weeks after They Keep Killing Suzie

* * *

Susie was killed three weeks ago. For the second and final time. Every night for the three weeks since that day Jack and Ianto had been together.

Tonight was the first night Jack had stayed.

He couldn't work out exactly why he was staying. The less noble side of his mind was telling him it was because his wriststrap hadn't beeped for the first time in three weeks. However, he knew he would be lying if that were his reason.

For whatever reason Jack had spent the last hour staring at the ceiling of Ianto's little bedroom. Just listening to the Welshman's breathing. It was such a soothing noise.

Jack smiled slightly and carefully got out of the bed.

But not to leave.

Instead he padded softly around the tiny flat, which was barely showing signs of being lived in. He noticed that there were no curtains hanging apart from in the bedroom. The old linoleum in the kitchen was in the process of being ripped up with a stack of marble effect tiles sitting next to a bucket of pale blue paint. A couple of chairs were dotted around a sleek but too new looking TV with one chair looking comfier and slightly more used than the others.

A small pile of old books were sitting on the floor next to it. Jack sank into the chair and picked up the first book. It was a copy of 1984. He was attempting to replace the book at a 90 degree angle, because it seemed like the kind of thing Ianto would like, when he noticed that the book beneath it didn't have any marks on the binding.

Curious he picked it up and looked along the brown leather cover. There were no clues to its contents. He flicked the book open and on the first page he saw the phrase 'Ianto Jones' in Ianto's elegant handwriting. A quick flick through the yellow-tinged pages confirmed that the book was Ianto's diary. A few years worth of diary.

Halfway through a passage about Ianto's sister's new boyfriend Jack's brain realised that perhaps reading the private musings of a man who you not only work with but sleep with might break a few rules of etiquette.

He flipped the book closed but as he replaced it he dropped it. As it made a light thump on contact with the carpet the back cover fell open, and he noticed a scrawl on the inside cover of the book. It looked messier than every other entry, as though Ianto hadn't been fully concentrating as he wrote it and he had allowed his writing to slant and wobble over the paper.

_When I was a child I spake as a child, _

_I understood as a child, _

_I thought as a child. _

_But when I became a man _

_I put away childish things._

"What're you doing Jack?"

Jack looked up to see Ianto leaning on the door frame in his boxers. He rubbed his eyes sleepily.

Jack bit his lip, "Sorry Ianto. I was just looking at your books and I dropped this one. It fell-"

"I know Jack"

As Jack watched the Welshman he noticed that he didn't look as angry as he expected. If anything, he looked rather pleased.

"I'm no expert Jack, but I think snooping in your host's possessions is a little frowned upon in most circles"

"Ugh, I hate the word snooping. It always makes the act seem so negative"

Ianto smiled and walked towards Jack before sitting on the ground resting his back against the Captain's bare legs.

"I woke up, because I thought you left again"

Jack didn't smile, "I'm sorry Ianto. I'm not going to leave again"

He felt the reverberations of Ianto's sigh through his legs.

"Don't make promises you cant keep"

Jack frowned, "Ianto I-"

"I mean you can't control the rift, can you?"

The smile returned. "Do you mind if I ask, what does this mean? This 'When I was a child' stuff? I recognise it from somewhere"

"It's the bible Jack"

"You're religious?" Jack couldn't keep the hint of surprise from his voice.

Ianto laughed softly, "No Jack. My family is, so I've been brought up with the whole 'Don't use the Lords name in vain' routine. But no. You can't work for Torchwood, and see the things we see and think that a God exists"

Jack placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "Ianto, I know that the universe can seem evil, but that's no reason to lose your faith"

"It's not because of that. I never truly believed anyway, but the Bible doesn't exactly explain alien life, does it?"

"No, I suppose it doesn't. So why the quote?"

Ianto shrugged, "I just like it. It's the only bit I like from the Bible actually. I wrote it just after Lisa… I wasn't exactly sober"

"Ah." That explained the messy writing.

"But its true. I can't be a child anymore. Not with my job"

"Oh"

Jack noticed how Ianto's voice trembled slightly. Not much, in fact, hardly at all, but he noticed.

"Ianto, what do you do when your not at work"

Ianto didn't reply for a moment, "Not much. I watch TV"

Jack glanced at the TV. It didn't look used at all.

"Is that all?"

"Um. Yes"

"Huh. Ianto. I'm going to the Hub for about half an hour, but I promise I'll be back. Can you wake up a bit more and get dressed"

Ianto turned to look at Jack, his face confused.

"In normal clothes. Not a suit please." Jack added as he stood up, "Not that you don't look incredible in a suit," he added, grinning as he made his way back to the bedroom to find his clothes.

TWTWTWTWTW

Jack lied.

He had only been at the Hub for twenty minutes before he was back.

Ianto smiled when he saw Jack still in his trademark military uniform.

"Why do I have to wear jeans when you don't change?" he asked. Although he didn't mind.

Jack grinned as he handed Ianto the coat that had been draped over a chair, "Because I like my coat, and you look even better in casuals than in a suit"

Ianto smiled and put on his own coat over his loose shirt and t-shirt, "Thank you Jack. Where're we going?"

"You'll see"

"Do you ever get bored of being annoying?"

"I prefer enigmatic"

Ianto laughed, "I bet you do"

"Just come on"

TWTWTWTWTW

"Uh, Jack"

"Yeah?"

"Why are we at a park?"

"Because Ianto, you are going to bring out your childish things"

Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah that sounded a lot better in my head. Like one of those moments in movies when the sort of nice orchestral music plays and the lead ch-"

"Jack, we're in a park at five in the morning and its freezing"

"Oh, that reminds me. I brought ice-cream"

Ianto stared at the Magnum that Jack handed him in surprise. "Um, what?"

"There is nothing better than ice-cream when its cold"

"Ah now that's the kind of logic that can't be argued with." Exasperated Ianto gazed around the park at nowhere in particular. It didn't help much. "Jack, what are you doing?"

Jack had sat on one of the swings and was arranging his coat so that as he swung forward it flowed out behind him like a cape.

"I'm swinging Ianto"

"For gods sake Jack. Can we go back to my place? I don't want to be exhausted when I'm chasing Weevils because you wanted to play on the swings"

"We're not going to work today"

"What?"

"We're going to a UNIT conference"

"Jack what are you talking about?"

"Well, I left messages and very detailed reports and memos and erm… office-y things at the Hub, so the others think we're going to an emergency UNIT conference on the growing problems that the Rovrax are causing to the Global Economy. In reality we're going to have some fun"

"Jack!"

"I'm not leaving till you sit on the swing Ianto"

"Jack"

"Ianto"

"Jack"

"Ianto"

"Oh for gods sake!" Ianto grumpily sat on the swing as Jack swung back and forward. "Stop doing that," he grumbled.

"Why?" asked Jack as he swung in and out of Ianto's line of vision.

"Because I can't concentrate on you when you're swinging. Why are you swinging anyway? You're a grown man Jack"

"Your ice-cream's gonna melt"

"Jack!"

"Ianto!"

"Oh dear god"

Jack stopped swinging and Ianto noticed a chocolaty smear across his cheek where the ice cream had clearly hit him in the face. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hah! You laughed!" grinned Jack as he pointed at Ianto.

Ianto pushed his hand away, "You're a bloody idiot. You know that don't you Jack"

"You sound like Owen. Ianto you cannot be an adult for all of your life. Everyone on this planet tells everyone else to grow up. Kids have to grow up to face bills, and debt, and politics and meetings with banks for loans they can't get and all other kinds of rubbish. What kid wants that?"

"I'm not a kid Jack"

"Well yeah, but what Ianto wants that either? Believe me, I've been around quite a bit. I know what I'm talking about"

"But with our work-"

"You need to be a kid even more sometimes. Sometimes the best way to be happy is to have a rubber duck in your bath"

Ianto just stared at him, "I'm not even going to pretend that makes sense"

"That's exactly my point! It doesn't have to make sense. Now I bet I can swing higher than you can"

Ianto remained expressionless, "With that coat. That's a lot of air resistance Sir"

"Oooh, them's fighting words Mr Jones. Show me then"

Ianto chuckled and slowly started swinging back and forth.

"That's rubbish Yan"

Ianto looked at Jack and once again raised his eyebrow.

Jack stopped swinging and bit his lip, "To. Ianto. Sorry"

"Nah, I like it," grinned Ianto as he suddenly swung himself forward.

Jack laughed and joined in.

"See," yelled Ianto when he was winning, "That coat causes too much drag"

"Oh shut up," laughed Jack.

With the wind rushing past his ears without having to avoid certain death Ianto had to agree with Jack.

"I make it about 6 am on a Saturday morning," said Jack eventually, "Or at least it will be when we get back to your place"

"Why? What happens then?"

Jack looked at him as though he was an alien, "We watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and eat pancakes. Duh"

Ianto grinned and grabbed Jack's hand before leading him back towards his house. "Sounds good"

After a short while the stillness of the early morning was interrupted by Ianto saying, "But you can't cook Jack"

* * *

A/N: So what'd you think? Reviews are love!


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